Casual burger chain is transitioning to franchise-owned stores, but has no timetable for re-opening

A Steak ‘n Shake spokeswoman says store closings here and in other markets are temporary as the burger chain transitions from corporate-owned to franchise-operated restaurants.

The one Dayton-area Steak ‘n Shake to shut down thus far is located at 6549 Miller Lane in Butler Twp., which posted a sign on its doors over the weekend that said simply, “Closed — Please visit the Huber Heights location.” The Huber Heights Steak ‘n Shake is located on 8311 Old Troy Pike near I-70. The Indianapolis-based chain operates nine restaurants in the Dayton-Springfield area.

Asked via email whether other Dayton-area Steak ‘n Shake restaurants would soon be shutting down temporarily, Judy Kadylak, Steak ‘n Shake’s senior vice president of marketing, said, “I can only respond relative to the locations that are already closed. They are temporarily closed. I don’t have a definitive timeline for re-opening. The timing is based on when we have a franchise partner to run the unit.”

Steak ‘n Shake’s web site lists two Cincinnati restaurants and one Hamilton location as “temporarily closed.” Eight St. Louis-area Steak ‘n Shake restaurants closed temporarily in January and have not reopened.

In August 2018, the 621-unit Steak ‘n Shake chain announced it would offer potential franchise partners who pay $10,000 and who commit to a six-month training program the chance to own what is now a corporate-operated Steak ‘n Shake restaurant.

According to Nation’s Restaurant News, an industry publication and web site, Steak ‘n Shake’s franchise partner offer came after a challenging 2017, when the full-service Steak ‘n Shake concept faced revenue and traffic hurdles. The CEO of Steak ‘n Shake’s parent company said Steak ‘n Shake revenue fell to $792.8 million in 2017 from $804.4 million in the prior year, and earnings fell to $431,000 from $34.7 million in the prior year, while customer counts were down 1.8 percent, Nation’s Restaurant News said.

The Steak 'n' Shake on Miller Lane north of Dayton has shut its doors.